1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to corrective footwear and more specifically, to a support sock for ankle stabilization in the prevention and/or rehabilitation of foot injuries.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the recent resurgence of jogging and running, there has been much concern regarding foot and ankle injury. Along with these typical athletic endeavors, there also has been an increase in the use of stationary leg exercising equipment both at health spas and at home. This equipment includes, for example, treadmills, bicycles and stair climbing machines, along with typical aerobic exercising. Although these types of exercises are excellent for the cardiovascular system and overall fitness of the participant, they produce extra stress and strain on the feet and ankles.
These repeated running sports, e.g. football, soccer, jogging, and stationary exercises, especially in the unconditioned or overweight person, can cause, for example, straining, spraining and twisting of the ankle. Twists and strains are typically from overexerting or over-stretching of the muscles whereas a sprain is a joint injury where some of the fibers of a supporting ligament are ruptured. Many doctors recommend using a combination of rest, ice, compression and elevation as therapy immediately following an injury. This can help control inflammation, reduce swelling, relieve pain and speed up the healing process.
More serious injuries are where the ligament is actually torn or one of the ankle bones has broken. These serious types of injuries of the foot normally require medical treatment and often result in the use of a splint or cast to prevent movement of the foot while the healing process takes place. Prior to this immobilization, surgery may be needed to repair the damage to the ligament or bone.
Prior art in the treatment of foot pain and injury prevention has been achieved with the use of supportive padding, strapping and foot orthotics. These treatments attempt to eliminate or minimize lateral and vertical foot movement and redistribute weight-bearing forces. Common conservative treatments typically consist of strapping and padding. The basic presumption being that the pain is relieved when the foot is stabilized or the likelihood of injury is lessened by not allowing the foot to be overextended.
Typically, the strapping comes as an elastic bandage of several feet that the user self-wraps around the ankle or as a pre-form that the user slips on over the foot. Both types have the disadvantage of adding extra bulk, making it extremely cumbersome to wear with a shoe or sneaker. The wrap has the added disadvantages of being time consuming to wrap and unwrap with each use, and each time the wrap is used, the amount of tightness around the ankle will change. At certain times the wrap may be too tight, causing discomfort and possible loss of circulation to the foot, and at other times, too loose and will defeat the intended purpose.
An orthotic is a mechanical device made for the foot or toes that is used to either stabilize the foot or hold it in optimum position to decrease the weight-bearing force in painful areas of the foot. Supports are usually custom made, but are also commercially available. They may be adhered to the foot for temporary relief or made into a permanent removable device. Traditionally, an ankle support must be held securely in a shoe in order to function efficiently. They are typically placed in the patient's shoes and worn daily. The disadvantage in this treatment is that the ankle is only supported when the patient is in shoes.
Numerous corrective footwear have been provided, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,841,648, 4,856,505 and 5,092,347, all to Shaffer et al. Although there are some socks on the market that claim medical indications, none are addressing ankle support or pain. Some sock manufacturers are using various types of loop systems to give additional padding in the heel and arch area, but do not address the ankle. While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, a need still exists for a support device that can be worn with or without shoes without adding an extra layer of bulk.